A blog for my crochet hobby, drawing inspiration from friends, crochet buddies, and designers from around the world!
See my latest crochet projects and designs, search for patterns and resource links, and get inspired to make your own one-of-a-kind creations.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

This time of the year is a bit colder here and just right to wear some light cardigans and shrugs. There are plenty of different styles in different fabrics at the RTW racks, but of course I'm always thinking about crochet cardigans and shrugs ;)
My Shells and Flowers Shrug design from a few years ago, is still wearable today. Here is one recently made for me by my crochetaholic buddy, Yolanda. She gifted me this to show her appreciation for my designs...I feel so blessed! Though it is very hard for us to see each other personally, she found a way to send it to me :)

And here's another new Shells and Flowers Shrug project shared on Ravelry by mollyfaerie: Love it!

Oh, and I've finally finished the Shapely Tunic for my SIL (though I still have to weave in ends and edge the neck...), here it is...hope she likes it!

Here's another Shapely Tunic project, this one is by Riohnna and modeled by her:

Sunday, November 28, 2010

These past few weeks, and the next several weeks is all messed up at home :p Whatever, its mostly beyond my control. So I just do the thing that keeps me out of trouble (or most probably keeps my mind off it) - crochet.

I've just finished a new design, but can't show it yet. But I can tell you its a cap sleeve cardigan, made in one piece from the top to the bottom, and I like it a lot ;)

Also worth mentioning, I've got me two knitting books at Booksale store...couldn't resist the price of only P40. each - Knitted Sock Sensations and Naughty Needles, both have patterns and instructions suitable for the less experienced knitter like me.
In a used clothing store, I bought one pullover just because its handknitted and the yarn is very nice. If I don't get to wear it, I can rip and reuse the yarn ;)

And here, just off my hook is my next free pattern offering - a santa hat. Coming soon...

Saturday, November 20, 2010

A scarf can add warmth, complete a look or define your style. Since it doesn't get too cold here, crochet cotton scarfs would be a good choice, especially if you can make it yourself! There are plenty of patterns to choose from, and you can pick the color you like from available cotton threads :)
There are many more ways to wear a scarf, than I'm familiar with. Here are some basic scarf tying techniques that I tried with my crochet scarves:

1. The No-Tie Tie. You can’t get any easier than this: Just drape it around your neck, and voila!
When to do it: When you’re wearing a necklace, or when you want to break up a mono-chromatic outfit with a long splash of color.

2. The Simple Knot Tie. It’s so easy you haven’t even thought about it yet. Just drape it around your neck and tie it in a basic knot – like the first step of tying a bow – that hits just above your bra cups. Rearrange the tails a little so that they fall one in front of the other (as opposed to side-by-side), cleverly hiding the simplicity of the knot. When to do it: To spice up a yoga pants & t-shirt ensemble, with a v-neck tee.

3. The Backwards Wrap Tie. Drape your scarf backwards around your neck, so that the center is flush against your throat and the tails fall down your back. Take the tail falling over your right shoulder blade and bring it across your back and over your left shoulder so it falls down the left side of your chest, and repeat with the opposite side. Keep it wrapped tightly for a polished look, or slouch it down a bit for a more relaxed vibe. When to do it: Instead of a statement necklace, to cover up a spit-up stain on your shoulder.

4. The Backwards Wrap + Knot Tie. Complete look # 3, then add look # 2. Presto Scarf-o! When to do it: Under a buttoned up blazer with the tails hanging out past the hem, when your scarf is super long.

5. Button-Hole Tie. Fold your scarf in half (making it half as long) and drape it around your neck so that you have both tails hanging over one shoulder and the folded center over the other. Open up the folded center a bit to create a button-hole, and thread the the tails through the hole. When to do it: With big earrings, with your hair up, when you’re getting cold.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Hi there! Seems I've been away here for a while...I'm loving crocheting and designing again :)I hope this top I'm working on now will turn out right; I've ripped and reworked several times already...but its looking good so far ;)

Btw, here's the finished bangle from the previous post. I wore it last time we went out for dinner. I like it a lot... though it looks and feels like a wristwarmer ;)

My brother's g.f. modelling it for me:

And here are my latest original patterns for sale...only $2.50 each!These fashionable accessories are so practical for the cooler weather during this time of the year.

These two neck accessories are one-ball projects made from Cannon size 8 thread. Both patterns are made from basically the same 3-row pattern repeat using chain loops to create a soft and lovely fabric.All these patterns are available on Ravelry.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

What's this? You could easily guess what I plan to do with this, but can you tell where I got? I didn't buy it, and it wasn't a common reusable material. Since I was excited to see if it fits, I didn't take a picture of the thing before I took it apart and prepared it for use. I also just assumed the owner isn't going to use it anymore :p

This metal was covered with a nice glossy paper, and I took it apart from the box that showcased the watch that my son bought for himself a year ago. I peeled off the paper and cut the sharp corners off. I tried it on my wrist and was happy that it would make a really cool bangle. Of course I was inspired by the examples in the book, Creative Crochet Jewelry. However, the designer used 100% metallic thread for the bangles, and I didn't have enough of it. I don't want to buy any more material since its always better to destash ;)

This black acrylic yarn with gold metallic (lurex) thread woven into it, will make great accessories for sure. My sister bought this in London a few years back. (Love you sis!)

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Use regular cotton thread or cotton thread with metallic, to make this lovely coaster. This can also be made a little bigger to use as a doily by crocheting with a bigger hook or thicker thread or yarn.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Have you used Ravelry's pattern browser to search for crochet patterns/projects to make or just to admire?
I was going to make a simple crocheted kitchen towel, since I was inspired by Fats' latest design. I wanted it easier to finish, so instead of making the flower motif, I picked a simple square motif - the Butterfly Garden Square, from the pattern database:

I chose from free crochet patterns, with photos, worked in square motifs. The search is almost instant, and I found what I liked from the first page of my search. Btw, search can include not just patterns found online, free or for sale, but also printed patterns in books and magazines that are included in the Ravelry database.
I worked on the chosen square, and added the main part of the towel from Fat's pattern. Its just so easy to mix and match patterns - can't imagine how its like to go back to those days when we can't find the project we want, or spend way too much time just looking even if we have tons of resources. Hooray for Ravelry!

This is the kitchen towel I quickly finished for instant gratification. Its good enough for display and light use:

And here's another towel quickly finished. This started as a Crazy Dishcloth, but I needed a hand towel this time, so I made this.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Creating your own crochet jewelry, even if you're not so inclined - is much easier when you have the right materials, tools, tricks and inspiration. That's why picking the right book that will inspire is important. I'm grateful for this book and consider it a blessing to receive. (See previous post.)

Now for my first inspired project here's my Flowers and Pearls bracelet.

I used: Cannon thread with metallic
Crochet hook size 1.75
The pattern I followed is the bracelet on p. 29. I wanted to make it all silver, but I didn't have the right material, so I used a partial ball of white cotton thread with silver metallic. The flowers turned out a bit bigger than the model in the book. So I made only 6 flowers, instead of 7.My pearls were also bigger.I did not attach a clasp, but sewed the flowers together and sewed it onto a white garter. I'm glad it came out the right size and just stretches a little to slip in and out of my hand.

Monday, October 04, 2010

I've seen mug cozies everywhere on Ravelry, and recently I received one as a gift and it was a lovely knitted cozy (photo at the bottom of this post). With this I was inspired to make up my own pattern using our local Red Heart acrylic yarn by Coats Manila Bay.
This one fits a regular-size coffee mug.

Starting at the bottom,Rnd 1: Ch 4 (Note: beginning ch 3 counts as 1st dc), 11 dc in 4th ch from hook, join with sl st on top of beg ch 3. (12 dc)Rnd 2: Ch 3, 2 dc in each dc around, join. (23 dc)Rnd 3: Ch 3, 2 dc in each dc around, join. (46 dc)Rnd 4: Ch 2 (counts as hdc), hdc in each dc around, join on top of beg ch 2. (46 hdc)
Continue to work on the body of cozy, this time working in rows. Turn, this becomes the right side.Row 1: Ch 2 (counts as hdc), (hdc in the next 7 st, 2 hdc in next st), 4 times, hdc in next 9 sts, leave the last 4 sts unworked, turn. (46 hdc)Row 2: Ch 2, hdc in each hdc across, turn. (46 hdc)Rows 3-5: repeat row 2. At the end of row 5, don't turn , ch 10, sc on the side of row 3, turn and sl st back on each ch just made, sl st on top of last hdc of row 5.Row 6: repeat row 2Rows 7-8: repeat row 2. (Note: change color at the end of row 8)Row 9: With contrasting color, repeat row 2, ch 15, and sl st on top of last hdc of this row.Row 10: (edging) Ch 1, sc in same st, sc in each st across. Fasten off.Finishing: Sew two buttons near the edge of rows opposite the two button loops. Weave in ends.

Here's the lovely knitted coffee cup cozy I received as a blog giveaway. Thanks Lisa!

Sunday, October 03, 2010

More than a month ago I got an email asking if I’d like a copy of a new crochet book for review. I didn’t get excited yet until I clicked on the link and saw the cover:

Just from seeing this, I knew I would be thrilled to have the book.
I have enjoyed making crochet jewelry ever since I got on the internet, and have made several designs of my own. I couldn’t wait to get the book and to try some of the patterns there and to get inspired to create more.
Now that I finally got the book, I could say it was even more thrilling than I expected. Every project is presented with beautiful photos and clear instructions. I instantly became a fan of the designer/artist, Esther Zadock. For me, the best aspect of her book is that it inspires creativity and sparks up one’s imagination.
I know I’ll be spending some hours just scouring through my stuff looking for beads, jewels, stones; colorful and metallic yarns; and whatever other materials that I could use for crochet jewelry. I would love to make the bangles, multistrand necklaces, cluster rings and earrings.
The only materials in the book that I probably would just dream about for now are the elastic gold or silver thread and the dead-soft gold-filled or silver wire...aaahhh! Other than that I guess I’ll be able to find most of the supplies here. I’ll be showing my inspired projects from this book, soon!

Saturday, October 02, 2010

This is one of the crochet projects you can make from one skein (100 gms) of Bernat worsted weight yarn. It doesn't look much for now, but hopefully this will turn out into a cute hat.
You can see on the right the crochet hook, and my WIP... On the left is the failed one. What I usually do when I want to start over again is to take the other end of the yarn, and work from there, frogging the wrong project as I work on the right one. That way I don't have to deal with a messy skein. Most of all I can clearly see the improvement when I compare the previous attempt to the next.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

A craft-blogging tip: aside from posting regularly, have good and relevant photos in every post.
Props and location are very helpful for this.

See here, my new medium-size model is proving to be very useful not only as a prop, but as a necessary tool for my fashion creations. This is the customized-sized tunic for my SIL. Its a little bigger than medium, and I've gotten the measurements from my SIL so I know its the right size. I have yet to continue crocheting about 6 inches of the lace skirt, but that seems very easy now that I've done the difficult parts ;)
Seeing it on the dress form gets me more inspired and makes me feel more professional ;)

Saturday, September 18, 2010

I have a new model!
Shown here wearing a romantic shrug that Yoly gave to me...

And if you're wondering who's Yoly, here she is:

I met her on my Facebook page, when she shared pics of her creations made from my designs.

On her model is the red halter top she made in large size.

When I saw this photo, I realized how useful a fitting form is, and knew I needed one...I asked Yoly where she bought it, though chances are I won't be able to go buy it myself.

Fortunately, she offered to buy it for me ;) Actually, she requested her hubby to buy it...

She also asked him to accompany her to meet up with me. They were such nice friendly people and I really appreciate them making me feel welcome and not a bother at all...especially since they live a bit far from where we met-up.

Meeting another crochet buddy in the person of Yoly was such a thrill! She even brought several projects she made from my designs. She said she already made plenty of items, all from my patterns which she loved since she liked working with cotton threads.
We exchanged projects too, and I picked the cream shrug above. I gave her my purple cropped cardigan and the pattern, so she can learn to make set-in sleeves.
Hopefully, we'll meet up again soon. There wasn't enough time to chat and share each other's projects. And as usual, I forgot to take out my pocket camera so we can have a souvenir pic :(

Sunday, September 12, 2010

I might have become a bit accustomed to the disturbance that is our new neighbors, but it's still annoying at times :(
Hopefully there won't be too much noise anymore from their truck deliveries. I think they've already done much banging, clanging, screeching, etc. on here, and have this to show:

Yuck!

Anyways, I finally got over my non-productive mode and have a couple of FO's to present.
First, my coffee shrug!
I can now call it my own since it fits me perfectly ;)

The other one is my unique and original knit/crochet tunic top!
I am happy with the overall result, but a bit disappointed that I didn't have enough of the original blue thread to finish the skirt. I instead used a darker shade of blue for the last six rounds. I also couldn't decide on the exact length to make, but I think it came out just right for my height and small body frame...

Saturday, September 04, 2010

A couple of recent photos of me and some friends, thought I would share...

Here are two of my longtime friends who visited me at home last May 1. We rarely see each other since they've been busy with work and family and live quite far from me.
In this photo, we were just having fun with my crochet work and modeling it. I wasn't able to take modeled pictures of my gifts to them. I gave to Wilma the pink romantic shrug, and to Lilian the burgundy shawl.

Another recent meet-up was with a high school classmate vacationing from California. We haven't seen her in 33 years...It was difficult to set a date for most of us previous classmates here to have a mini-reunion. So it turned out only 3 of us met that day :p
I brought along some of my crochet items, since she was admiring them online and wanted to order. Most of it were small, and fits me. But the Coffee shrug was big on me, and it fit her perfectly! She was happy to have it, and I was happy to give it too :)

Saturday, August 28, 2010

With so many design possibilities in crochet, isn't it so difficult to decide which to choose? Sometimes I can only begin to realize what I want after having tried a pattern stitch on the garment. Its not the same as doing a swatch as you don't see the way it drapes or how it looks combined with the other design elements. And so it is with this knit and crochet tunic project - its now taking up a lot more time than I planned. But I don't want to just finish it up and not be happy with the result. The lace pattern from the Pierrot tunic turned out too lacy combined with the knitted top. Besides it didn't feel smooth and was a bit scratchy. Halfway through the skirt's length (pic below) I frogged it!

I think plain dc stitches would look and feel much better. I thought I was doing well and have done about 10 rounds (pic below), until - I looked at the back of the stitches. It looked nicer on the wrong side than the right side! So I frogged again and reversed the dc stitches :p

Now I'm really liking it and can't wait to finish. Haven't decided though on how to finish the edge :p

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Several years ago (before I got into the internet), I attempted to knit myself some tops. I chose two designs, one in black thread and the other one in blue...started with the back part for the blue, and the front for the black. (You can see the UFO's here on Ravelry) Since knitting in thread seemed to take forever, I got stock and never finished the other half of both.
It is such a pity to see my unfinished knitted tops, that I decided to rescue it - with crochet, of course :) Luckily, I can just put together the black front and the blue back parts since it makes a good color combination. I can also cover up the imperfections with crochet edgings ;)
I have already finished the neck edging (two rnds of sc), and the sleeve edging (adapted from my original tunic pattern). I'm now on the bottom part, and looks like a few more crocheting hours to get to the finish line.

For the bottom part, I'm using the lace pattern on the bottom of this tunic from Pierrot Gosyo Co..

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About Me

I've been an avid crocheter for more than 30 years, and continue to explore the possibilities of this craft.
I joined blogger on May 2005 with my Crochet and Other Stuff blog to share my creations in crochet, a bit of knitting, other crafts, and whatever I find interesting.